Review – Star Wars: The Force Awakens

It’s here! It’s here! It’s finally here! The long-awaited Star Wars: The Force Awakens is officially in theaters now, and I stayed up ridiculously late last night to watch it and give my loyal readers the skinny.

After three decades, and a few somewhat disappointing prequels, we’re going back to that famous galaxy far, far away. Following the events of Return of the Jedi, the Galactic Empire is shattered, but in it’s absence a new, more aggressive force, known as the First Order, has emerged. They are searching for the last known Jedi, Luke Skywalker, who has vanished from the galaxy, and they will stop at nothing to find him.

First up, the story. This movie draws A LOT of parallels to the original trilogy, which is simultaneously the best and worst thing about it. It’s great because it looks and feels so much like the movies that you’ve watched over and over. The action is there, the adventure is there, the breathtaking visuals, and epic space battles are there, and the whole spectacle becomes one massive nostalgia trip. However, its greatest asset is also perhaps its biggest flaw. It pulls so much from the story of the original trilogy that it almost, just slightly tends to border on predictable in certain spots. Particularly when one takes into consideration that this is just the beginning of another trilogy. However, even with that borderline predictability, it’s still just so damn difficult to not enjoy this movie.

The next best thing about The Force Awakens is the acting. Abrams and company absolutely nailed it with the casting here. The talent is young, but they are very good. Daisy Ridley’s Rey is the standout star here. She plays her part to perfection and commands the screen whenever she’s on it. John Boyega’s Finn is a solid secondary character who becomes more and more endearing to the audience as the movie goes on. And really, what more is there to say about Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher? They pick up their roles as Han and Leia like they never left them. And even though they reprise their iconic roles from more than thirty years ago, they still allow the young talent to shine and take the center stage. It was nice to see them be a part of the story, but not have them shoe-horned into being the main part of the story.

J. J. Abrams and Disney really knocked this one out of the park. It looks like a Star Wars movie, it sounds like a Star Wars movie, and best of all it FEELS like a good, old-fashioned Star Wars movie. And I think at the end of the day that is the best praise that I can give it.

The Verdict for Star Wars: The Force Awakens:5out of 5

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Until next time,
Stay nerdy, my friends.

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Nice review. I was really impressed with this movie. I was a little apprehensive that it would be too “Into Reference” like Star Trek: Into Darkness (and to be fair it was a little derivative in some parts) but still I am thoroughly satisfied with The Force Awakens. I’m going to see it a few more times over winter break.